1 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:07,640 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Anny and Samantha and welcome stuff will 2 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:19,279 Speaker 1: Never Told You Protection by Heart Radio. Today it is 3 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 1: time for another edition of Female First, which means we 4 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 1: are once again thrilled to be joined by the awesome, 5 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:27,040 Speaker 1: the adventurous Eves welcomes. 6 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 2: Thank you. I like adventurous. 7 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 3: I feel called that, Like I don't really get called that, 8 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 3: so I appreciate that. 9 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 4: I would. 10 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: I would say, you are you are, You've always got 11 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:41,199 Speaker 1: adventures to update us on. 12 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:42,600 Speaker 4: You're a globetrotter. 13 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:44,280 Speaker 1: What have you been up to, Eves? 14 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:46,160 Speaker 2: I have been. 15 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 3: I feel like managing a pretty good balance of like 16 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 3: chilling and working and playing and being in community and 17 00:00:55,560 --> 00:01:00,160 Speaker 3: being isolated at the same time. Uh yes, I think 18 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 3: last time I was on the show, I did talk 19 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,039 Speaker 3: about how was I was in Seattle at the time, 20 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 3: and I had a really good time there and I 21 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 3: really enjoyed being outdoors there. I really enjoyed being in 22 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,759 Speaker 3: the city, and I definitely plan on going back at 23 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 3: some point sooner or rather than later. Other than that, 24 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 3: I've been, I've been hanging out. 25 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 2: Still. 26 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 1: I feel like every time you've earned the label adventuresy. 27 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 2: So that's what I'll say. 28 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 1: Thank you. You're up to things and traveling about. Uh 29 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: here's a question. I kind of half know the answer 30 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 1: to this. I think were you ever into sports as 31 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: a kid, Eves? 32 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 3: I was, and I when I was younger. Okay, so 33 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 3: I started in track when I was in middle school, 34 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 3: so I But but it's interesting because I kind of 35 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 3: my mother ran track when she was younger, and I 36 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 3: think it was her who kind of was like, hey, 37 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 3: EVESI you should, you know, join track. But she never 38 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 3: pressured me into it. So it wasn't a thing where 39 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 3: it's like she forced me to do track because she 40 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 3: did it and she wanted me to continue on her paths. 41 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 3: She wanted to live vicariously through me. It wasn't like that. 42 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 3: I think she just kind of encouraged me to do it, 43 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 3: and I was, I'm pretty much I pretty much still am. 44 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 3: And I was then Okay, if if I'm willing to 45 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:27,080 Speaker 3: do it, then I'll do it, and if it feels right, 46 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 3: then I'll do it. So I did two track, and 47 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 3: I was actually pretty good at it. Although I wanted 48 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 3: to be a spurner, and I think we might have 49 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 3: talked about this, I wanted to be a sprinner. They 50 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:37,679 Speaker 3: wouldn't make me a spurner. They put me right there 51 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,639 Speaker 3: on the cusp of sprinting, and I thought sprinners were 52 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 3: so cool, and I still think spriners are really cool. 53 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 3: But you know, I wanted to be a one hundred 54 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 3: or two hundred girly. Really two hundred felt a little 55 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 3: bit more right, because I don't know if I had 56 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 3: the explosiveness to do one hundred and do well at it, 57 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 3: But two hundred the curve and the two hundred felt 58 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 3: really good to me. Hurdles no go, so they I 59 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 3: ended up. I ended up being in the I tried 60 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 3: long jump, not good at it. Get a long jump, 61 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 3: triple jump two different things, right, I don't know one 62 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 3: of those I did. I try, I wasn't good at it, 63 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 3: so I'm just gonna put that out of my head. 64 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 3: And then I ended up in the four hundred though, 65 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 3: So that's where I ended up. I did pretty well 66 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 3: at it, but I didn't stay in it long enough 67 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 3: to like I think if I stayed in it longer, 68 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 3: I would have done pretty even better. 69 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 2: I just didn't. 70 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:26,799 Speaker 3: I didn't dedicate myself to it to like could could 71 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:30,640 Speaker 3: continue on the path of athletics in track specifically, and 72 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:32,679 Speaker 3: then after that I did tennis for a couple of 73 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 3: years because I liked being an athlete and I wanted 74 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 3: to stay in athletics and I liked tennis, but I 75 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 3: didn't necessarily. It wasn't those one of those things where 76 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 3: I forecast it being some great I wasn't. I wasn't 77 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 3: ever an athlete. I want to be a professional athlete track. 78 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 3: But it was like, when I ended up being good 79 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 3: at them, I was like, huh, maybe there is something here. 80 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 3: But I think, you know, some some people when they're younger, 81 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 3: they start out like I really love this thing. I 82 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 3: really want to do it. I really want to climb 83 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 3: the ranks in it. And if I would have started 84 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 3: with that mindset, I think I could have ended up 85 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 3: doing athletics in a more serious way. 86 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: You could have got out a whole different like branching line. 87 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 2: Right, I think so, honestly. 88 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 3: But it's funny because I still really like physicality, and 89 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:27,560 Speaker 3: I still really like having rigorous athletic and or just 90 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:32,679 Speaker 3: physical practices through the cons of styles of yoga asana 91 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 3: that I would do usually it's more on the vigorous 92 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 3: side and through powerlifting. I just like I like things 93 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:40,840 Speaker 3: that really challenged me physically, and so I feel like 94 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,920 Speaker 3: I've still been able to, in a more leisurely way 95 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 3: than professional athletics, be able to keep that in my life. 96 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's great. I wish I wish I'd kept up 97 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: with a bunch of my stuff. But once the pandemic came, which, 98 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 1: by the way, today is at Quarantine University, so happy 99 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:03,160 Speaker 1: Quarantine anniversary everybody. 100 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:04,680 Speaker 2: I was expecting that. 101 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 1: I saw my calendar over here. I'm like, oh, yeah, 102 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:09,600 Speaker 1: I remember this. 103 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 2: I like a whole thing. I just go ahead and 104 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 2: I know about that. 105 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: The last things I did that day, I do them 106 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: again in memory. That's pretty poetic. I'm a very big 107 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: tradition person. I don't know quite why, but it helps 108 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:35,800 Speaker 1: me mark the passage of time. I think. So I'm like, okay, 109 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 1: this is when I eat this meal. I remember this 110 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: fair especially during the pandemic. That was useful because time 111 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:50,360 Speaker 1: m m M. To say, I was kind of similar 112 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: to you Eves in terms of I liked playing sports. 113 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:58,120 Speaker 1: I was pretty good at some of them, but once 114 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: usually once somebody came to me and was like, do 115 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:02,599 Speaker 1: you want to compete professionally? I would always say no, 116 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 1: and then I would quit. I don't know. I to 117 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: quit ask you got like, oh god, no this is over. 118 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 2: You've noticed me. I must hide it again. 119 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:16,240 Speaker 1: Yeah kinda yeah, but I did. 120 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 2: I really. 121 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:21,120 Speaker 1: I also played tennis. My dad really wanted me to 122 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 1: be I wouldn't say he pressured me, but he really 123 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: wanted me to be into it, and I wasn't too. 124 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 1: I liked it, but I was never like a lot 125 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: of times I was like, why don't have to go 126 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:36,359 Speaker 1: do tennis right now? It's hot outside. Yeah that's about 127 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:36,960 Speaker 1: where I was. 128 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 2: So you didn't enjoy it when you were doing it. 129 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,719 Speaker 1: I enjoyed it when I played it with my friends, 130 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:46,920 Speaker 1: but he signed me up for lessons and I didn't 131 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:52,359 Speaker 1: like the lessons. And a running theme throughout me playing 132 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:56,279 Speaker 1: sports was I've never wear the right clothes because I 133 00:06:56,320 --> 00:06:58,479 Speaker 1: was such a nerd. I was wearing I remember this 134 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 1: very specifically. I was wearing a Black Star Wars T 135 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,719 Speaker 1: shirt that said don't Look Back, and it had the 136 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 1: picture of Darth Vader of the Shadow. It was a 137 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 1: horrible shirt to wear for exercise the heat, so I 138 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: didn't dress properly for it, and so a lot of 139 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: it was like I was tired after school and I 140 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:22,960 Speaker 1: wasn't wearing the right thing. Well, when I played with 141 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 1: my friends, I did really love it that. 142 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, what about you, Samantha, do you have any. 143 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 4: Oh No, I was definitely Actually I cheerleaded, and I 144 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 4: know that could be a debate about whether or not 145 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 4: it's a sport, but I did. We did like competitive 146 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 4: stuff with dance and stunting, and I. 147 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:44,560 Speaker 1: Was always the bass, so I. 148 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 4: Was the one lifting thing throwing people because I got 149 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 4: those thick dyes helped me push people up. But with that, 150 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:53,240 Speaker 4: I did try tennis and I'm bad at it, so 151 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:55,040 Speaker 4: bad that the first time that I try to play 152 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 4: with someone who was actually really good and he was 153 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 4: trying to help me, he walked off the court and said, 154 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:01,680 Speaker 4: don't do this me and walked away. 155 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:05,280 Speaker 2: From me, and to me, it was a personal offense, 156 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,520 Speaker 2: Like he was so offended. I'm like, fair enough because 157 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 2: it was not working. He was he was done, he 158 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 2: was open, So it was not my thing. Uh. 159 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 4: I kind of wish we had other types because again 160 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 4: I also was one of those that started working at 161 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 4: like thirteen fourteen, so I had to stop pretty much 162 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 4: everything in order to like get things in Edver, to 163 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 4: do things, so I did that, so less sports, more working. 164 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 2: But yeah, yeah. 165 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:39,319 Speaker 4: Not very competitive. I'm very slow. I'm also very slow. 166 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 4: Can't jump that high off the ground, but I can. 167 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, you don't. You can't up. 168 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:48,840 Speaker 3: You don't need to have ups to be able to 169 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:50,920 Speaker 3: do with sport. But that's why you were the base, right. 170 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 4: That was because I was sturty on that ground. 171 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:59,200 Speaker 2: That makes sense. I mean, this is gravity does this 172 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 2: thing for a reason, and it kept me down. Fine, 173 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 2: I'm fine, I'm fine. 174 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:20,200 Speaker 1: Yes, blame gravity, Yeah, thank you. I like that. Well, 175 00:09:20,559 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: I am very excited to talk about the person who 176 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: brought today. Eves is quite a wild story and it's 177 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 1: interesting to see how sports have changed so much. So 178 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:30,640 Speaker 1: who are we talking about today? 179 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, Actually our conversation about tennis is pretty appropriate because 180 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 3: we are talking about Aura Washington today and she was 181 00:09:38,679 --> 00:09:41,800 Speaker 3: the first black woman to win seven consecutive singles titles 182 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 3: in the American Tennis Association and also kind of I've 183 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 3: seen it put as like the first black American woman's 184 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:51,560 Speaker 3: sports celebrity, and we'll get into later. I think some 185 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:55,080 Speaker 3: more dig into that word celebrity. I mean, I feel 186 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,920 Speaker 3: like celebrity is already a loaded word, but the way 187 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:01,000 Speaker 3: that her legacy kind of panned out, and how she 188 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 3: was recognized during her time, I think maybe could have 189 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 3: been uplifted a little bit more as a little teaser. 190 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 3: But we can start a little bit earlier than that. 191 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:14,199 Speaker 3: Where she was born, So she was born in the 192 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:19,880 Speaker 3: late eighteen nineties. Not really clear exactly when she was born, 193 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:22,800 Speaker 3: but it might have been eighteen ninety eight or eighteen 194 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:25,600 Speaker 3: ninety nine. And she was born on a family farm 195 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:30,840 Speaker 3: in Caroline County, Virginia. I think that's Caroline. If somebody 196 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:32,920 Speaker 3: knows how to pronounce it, maybe it's Carolyn. I know 197 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,600 Speaker 3: sometimes place names have specific pronunciations, but as far as 198 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:39,840 Speaker 3: I know, Caroline County, Virginia, and her parents were James 199 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:44,000 Speaker 3: Thomas Washington and Laura Young Washington. And she was the 200 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 3: fifth of nine children, and they were part of a 201 00:10:48,679 --> 00:10:52,360 Speaker 3: community of people who own farmland. And according to a 202 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:55,959 Speaker 3: family member, tobacco was a family's biggest crop, but they 203 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:00,360 Speaker 3: also grew corn, wheat, and rye. And the way the 204 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:02,680 Speaker 3: family had it organized was kind of like the boys 205 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:06,319 Speaker 3: worked outside and the fields and the girls worked inside 206 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:10,840 Speaker 3: and on. There's not a ton of information about this 207 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 3: time in her life, but on the nineteen ten census, 208 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 3: Aura it's listed as being twelve years old, which would 209 00:11:17,559 --> 00:11:20,560 Speaker 3: put her as having been born sometime around eighteen ninety eight. 210 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 2: Now, we already have. 211 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 3: Talked about many times on female first how there's a 212 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:27,640 Speaker 3: lot of dubiousness around the dates that people were born, 213 00:11:27,679 --> 00:11:30,600 Speaker 3: and people would not know themselves, and then people would 214 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 3: make stuff up and the senses would be wrong, So 215 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 3: of course, making room for that, but that is that, 216 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:39,040 Speaker 3: I think that gives us a general sense of around 217 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 3: the age she was at this time. And by this 218 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:45,840 Speaker 3: point her mom is already dead. Her mom died giving 219 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 3: birth to the ninth sibling, and of course, yeah, it 220 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:53,480 Speaker 3: became hard for her dad to take care of everyone 221 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,439 Speaker 3: in the family farm and the family all of his own. 222 00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:59,520 Speaker 3: So I'm not sure exactly what happened to all of 223 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:03,000 Speaker 3: the their siblings and the family, but it's clear that 224 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:07,120 Speaker 3: Aura moved to Germantown and Philadelphia and moved in with 225 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:12,320 Speaker 3: her aunt Maddie sometime around the mid nineteen tens. And 226 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:18,200 Speaker 3: this is in Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania is where her story 227 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:23,480 Speaker 3: with sports starts. So just for a little context, in 228 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:26,040 Speaker 3: the late eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds, I'm sure 229 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:27,960 Speaker 3: y'all have talked about it on the show before, but 230 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:32,520 Speaker 3: with women in sports, but women and particularly kind of 231 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:35,160 Speaker 3: more well to do white women who had luxury of 232 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 3: time and luxury of resources were encouraged to exercise. So 233 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:43,680 Speaker 3: middle and upper class women were forming athletic clubs. That's 234 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 3: what they were spending their time doing, exercise in these clubs. 235 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,160 Speaker 3: And at the same time, women who are more working 236 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:54,240 Speaker 3: class and black women didn't have as much time and 237 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:58,480 Speaker 3: as much luxury to be involved in sports. Of course, 238 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:01,880 Speaker 3: exercise is kind of a it's a constructed thing because 239 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:04,600 Speaker 3: a lot of the time people were moving their bodies 240 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:07,239 Speaker 3: and the work that they were doing, they're spending time outside. 241 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:09,240 Speaker 3: So this is not to say, I don't want to 242 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:11,559 Speaker 3: make it seem like this is like, oh, white women 243 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:13,959 Speaker 3: and upper class people were the only people who were 244 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:17,720 Speaker 3: more healthier or who were more capable, who were more 245 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:20,760 Speaker 3: capable of moving their bodies or doing sports. It wasn't 246 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:22,720 Speaker 3: like that. It was just like in this constructed way 247 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:27,480 Speaker 3: and group participation and in participation to facilities and more 248 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 3: resources like that, more middle to upper class people and 249 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:34,840 Speaker 3: non black people were the ones who were having those experiences. 250 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:40,680 Speaker 3: But at the same time, of course, people would recognized 251 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:43,960 Speaker 3: that and it was being addressed. So there were organizations 252 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:46,960 Speaker 3: that aimed to help with these kinds of societal issues 253 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:52,280 Speaker 3: like poverty and being able to give black children and 254 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:57,520 Speaker 3: girls and women places where they could go to have 255 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 3: similar experiences and exercise, and one of them was the 256 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:06,320 Speaker 3: Young Women's Christian Association or YWCA, which has its own 257 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:13,359 Speaker 3: long history, but there was a Black YWCA in Germantown 258 00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:18,160 Speaker 3: where Aura was, and that is where her story in 259 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 3: sports starts. That's where she was given access to lessons 260 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 3: where she was able to learn more and that now 261 00:14:29,280 --> 00:14:32,880 Speaker 3: it wasn't like she dropped everything and had ample and 262 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:37,600 Speaker 3: infinite time to participate in sport us because on the 263 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:41,160 Speaker 3: nineteen twenty census at least, and so during this entire time, 264 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:45,040 Speaker 3: essentially she's still working. She's listed as one of two 265 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 3: servants working in a wealthy white home in Philly, so 266 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:52,440 Speaker 3: she does do domestic work at this time to obviously 267 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:56,280 Speaker 3: help herself and probably her family as well. So it's 268 00:14:56,360 --> 00:15:00,160 Speaker 3: not even clear how she got interested in tennis. It's 269 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:03,480 Speaker 3: like I haven't seen any of her own personal records, 270 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:07,640 Speaker 3: any of her personal narratives about like, this is how 271 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 3: I was inspired by somebody to get into tennis, this 272 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:14,520 Speaker 3: is who I saw playing, this is what I liked 273 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 3: about tennis. There's not really much of that reflection that 274 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:19,800 Speaker 3: I have that I am aware of to go, and 275 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:23,520 Speaker 3: I don't think it really exists. It hasn't popped up yet, 276 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 3: but there, you know, it is more information about her 277 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 3: as she becomes more involved in sports. There's just not 278 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:37,120 Speaker 3: a lot of personal information about her personal life and 279 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 3: her own. 280 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:38,440 Speaker 2: Reflections about it. 281 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:42,320 Speaker 3: But it might have been sometime around nineteen twenty three, 282 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:46,600 Speaker 3: when she first started playing in national Black women's competitions. 283 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 3: There was an article that noted how she held the 284 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:52,080 Speaker 3: racket almost halfway up to handle, which is, of course, 285 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:55,640 Speaker 3: if you're familiar with tennis and a more unusual way 286 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:57,200 Speaker 3: of handling. 287 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:58,760 Speaker 2: The racket, usually hold it farther down. 288 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:01,760 Speaker 3: But in ten twenty four, we're skipping a lot. So 289 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 3: I just want to recognize that. I want to call 290 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:08,480 Speaker 3: that out because we're going to get right into like 291 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:11,120 Speaker 3: when she started winning, she's actually playing. 292 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:13,080 Speaker 2: Now, you know, it's kind of like we have. 293 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 3: To skip the whole month the training montage because I 294 00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:19,320 Speaker 3: don't know any of that that information isn't available, but 295 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:24,400 Speaker 3: of I am curious about what percentage of that was 296 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 3: and the lessons she got, what percentage of that was 297 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:31,200 Speaker 3: naturally came to her. So I did see noted in 298 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:33,280 Speaker 3: some of the articles about her, like, oh, she had 299 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:37,440 Speaker 3: natural talent. But I do think I know y'all know, 300 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:40,720 Speaker 3: oftentimes in these articles about people, it's a little bit 301 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:45,880 Speaker 3: of inflation, there's a little bit of embellishment. So how 302 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:47,840 Speaker 3: I don't really know how a person can judge what 303 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:52,000 Speaker 3: is someone's natural talent versus what is someone's development through 304 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:54,040 Speaker 3: the skills that they gained and the lessons that they took. 305 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:56,680 Speaker 3: And I also don't want to diminish, you know, the 306 00:16:56,720 --> 00:16:59,360 Speaker 3: actual work that she put into it, especially considering I 307 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:02,120 Speaker 3: don't really know what she did to put the work 308 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:08,639 Speaker 3: into it. So yeah, but she did start winning pretty early. 309 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:13,720 Speaker 3: In nineteen twenty four, she won the city championship in Wilmington, Delaware, 310 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:18,960 Speaker 3: and women's singles and doubles and mixed doubles titles, and 311 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:21,160 Speaker 3: in nineteen twenty five she won the New York City 312 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:27,080 Speaker 3: and New York State championships, and notably she beat Isadora Channels, 313 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:33,000 Speaker 3: who had won ATA national championships twice, and ATA as 314 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:36,879 Speaker 3: in the American Tennis Association, so I'll be saying ATA 315 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:39,800 Speaker 3: when they come up from now on. But she also 316 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:43,200 Speaker 3: that same year won the women's doubles titles at the ATA, 317 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:47,520 Speaker 3: and the ATA was a national black tennis organization that 318 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:51,040 Speaker 3: was founded in nineteen sixteen. Since black folks were barred 319 00:17:51,119 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 3: from playing against white folks, so this was a situation 320 00:17:56,400 --> 00:18:00,880 Speaker 3: where as we'll continue to talk about later, Or had 321 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,960 Speaker 3: to stay in the black folks lane because she wasn't 322 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:08,480 Speaker 3: really competing against white people during this time because of segregation. 323 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:12,879 Speaker 3: So at the time, Aura would trade top spots with 324 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:17,000 Speaker 3: Isidora Channels and Lula Ballard, and she played doubles with Lula, 325 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 3: and she had some difficulties beating them at nationals, and 326 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:24,600 Speaker 3: she would beat them at the state levels. But in 327 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:28,240 Speaker 3: July nineteen twenty seven she won at the Pennsylvania Open, 328 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:31,840 Speaker 3: and she got that title again the next year. But 329 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:34,880 Speaker 3: during all this time, she was still having to work. 330 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:39,640 Speaker 3: So yes, she was she was getting more titles in 331 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:42,600 Speaker 3: the sports that she was playing, but she also had 332 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:47,240 Speaker 3: to continue working. And around the spring of nineteen twenty nine, 333 00:18:47,359 --> 00:18:49,479 Speaker 3: she moved to Chicago, and when she was there, She 334 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:52,480 Speaker 3: worked as a domestic worker in the hotel for a 335 00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:59,879 Speaker 3: couple of years, and she beat Francis Gittins in nineteen 336 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:03,840 Speaker 3: nine and that's when she got a women's national title, 337 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:07,320 Speaker 3: and that was the first of men need more to come. 338 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:12,439 Speaker 3: And she continued to do well in the black tennis realm, 339 00:19:13,119 --> 00:19:16,440 Speaker 3: but in the off season she turned to basketball. 340 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:18,720 Speaker 2: So basketball was kind. 341 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:20,199 Speaker 3: Of more It was the thing that a lot of 342 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:23,320 Speaker 3: women played, and it was a little bit more easily 343 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:26,840 Speaker 3: accessible to black women and to the working class. And 344 00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:31,080 Speaker 3: it was like she would in the warmer months play 345 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,159 Speaker 3: in the spring and summer play tennis, and then she 346 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:36,280 Speaker 3: was able to in the fall and winter play basketball, 347 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:38,400 Speaker 3: and so she kind of had she had a real 348 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,919 Speaker 3: year round sports practice. And in nineteen thirty she joined 349 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:46,720 Speaker 3: the Germantown Hornets, which played at the local YWCA. 350 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:47,840 Speaker 2: And they were doing really well. 351 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:50,560 Speaker 3: So by March of nineteen thirty one, they were up 352 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 3: fourteen games to one game and Aura was. 353 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 2: Usually the high scorer in the game. 354 00:19:56,359 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 3: In the articles about her, they talk about, oh Aura, 355 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:03,680 Speaker 3: she she carried the team. Basically, we were passing into her, 356 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:06,560 Speaker 3: she was making the points. There was a lot of that, 357 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,520 Speaker 3: Like Aura was a star on the team she was on, 358 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:15,560 Speaker 3: and the Hornets soon became a professional team and they 359 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:18,760 Speaker 3: ended up playing other black women's teams, so white women's teams, 360 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 3: and sometimes they even play black men's teams. But there 361 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:26,760 Speaker 3: was a big defeat in nineteen thirty two, and that 362 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:32,159 Speaker 3: was against the Philadelphia Tribune Girls, which was related to 363 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:33,240 Speaker 3: the Philadelphia Tribune. 364 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:33,880 Speaker 2: They sponsored. 365 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:37,359 Speaker 3: That's why they were called that because the Philadelphia Tribune, 366 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:41,400 Speaker 3: which was a black newspaper, did sponsor them. So they 367 00:20:42,119 --> 00:20:44,440 Speaker 3: beat Aura when she was on the Hornets to win 368 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:48,760 Speaker 3: the national title after this really intense championship series of 369 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:50,879 Speaker 3: five games to determine who was going to be the 370 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:56,240 Speaker 3: Black women's champions, and Otto Briggs, who was the circulation 371 00:20:56,359 --> 00:20:59,920 Speaker 3: director for the Philadelphia Tribune, got her to switch team, 372 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:03,439 Speaker 3: enjoining the Tribunes as captain in the fall of nineteen 373 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:06,800 Speaker 3: thirty two, so she wasn't even on hornetstat long when 374 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:08,920 Speaker 3: they lost. She was like, Okay, I'm good. I would 375 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:13,160 Speaker 3: love to know how that conversation went. But I wonder 376 00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:15,639 Speaker 3: how much convincing it took her to switch teams. But 377 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:20,720 Speaker 3: it's a nice rivalry story, I feel like. And so 378 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:24,680 Speaker 3: then she's switched over she switched teams, and Ora did 379 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:28,080 Speaker 3: get a small salary for playing on the team, but 380 00:21:28,359 --> 00:21:32,200 Speaker 3: she didn't earn enough to stop doing domestic work still. 381 00:21:32,359 --> 00:21:35,120 Speaker 3: So as in many of the other stories we talk 382 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:39,080 Speaker 3: about on Female First, it's like, okay, yeah, we were 383 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 3: talking about their accomplishments now in hindsight. And sometimes they 384 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:47,920 Speaker 3: got notoriety while they were alive. Sometimes they didn't get 385 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:53,400 Speaker 3: it until they were dead already. But oftentimes they weren't 386 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:57,359 Speaker 3: making money to match whatever whatever kind of recognition they 387 00:21:57,359 --> 00:21:59,560 Speaker 3: were getting at the time, and that was a case 388 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:04,320 Speaker 3: for Aura. She kept working and at the same time, 389 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:07,640 Speaker 3: the team kept winning games. By January of nineteen thirty three, 390 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:11,880 Speaker 3: they had won eleven consecutive games. The Philadelphia Tribunes did 391 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:16,639 Speaker 3: and in the book A Spectacular Leap by Jennifer H. Lansberry, 392 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:21,800 Speaker 3: the author says that Aura had great stamina and she 393 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:24,919 Speaker 3: had the ability to pass or shoot with either hand, 394 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:29,280 Speaker 3: so they were doing well. A lot of that was 395 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:32,119 Speaker 3: attributed to Aura, although it was definitely a team effort. 396 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,959 Speaker 3: In nineteen thirty four, the Tribunes went on tour and 397 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:39,439 Speaker 3: they were doing their thing, and Aura herself, she was 398 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:42,000 Speaker 3: still on the tennis side as well, so I got 399 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:44,600 Speaker 3: this basketball thing going on, We're going back to tennis now. 400 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:48,520 Speaker 3: Back on that side, she lost the ATA singles title 401 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:50,359 Speaker 3: for the first time since she first won it in 402 00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:53,000 Speaker 3: nineteen twenty nine, so she was winning for a while, 403 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:57,160 Speaker 3: but in nineteen thirty seven she did win it again. 404 00:22:57,480 --> 00:22:59,040 Speaker 2: However, she. 405 00:23:01,359 --> 00:23:07,120 Speaker 3: Planned on retiring, so around nineteen thirty eight, she retired 406 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 3: from her tennis singles career. However, she did plan to 407 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:14,760 Speaker 3: keep competing in doubles matches. 408 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:15,960 Speaker 2: Out of curiosity. 409 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:18,919 Speaker 3: Do y'all like, do y'all prefer singles or doubles in tennis, 410 00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:20,159 Speaker 3: whether that's playing or watching. 411 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:25,200 Speaker 1: I prefer playing doubles most of the time. I watched 412 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:26,800 Speaker 1: tennis at singles, But I don't know if that's a 413 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:30,280 Speaker 1: preference thing or if that's just how it has panned 414 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:31,760 Speaker 1: out for me in my life. 415 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:39,600 Speaker 2: I don't really watch tennis. I'm just gonna admit it. 416 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:42,359 Speaker 4: Like, if I were there live and this is for 417 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:45,280 Speaker 4: all sports, I think for me, I would enjoy it. 418 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:47,399 Speaker 4: But watching it on DV is not my favorite. So 419 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:50,960 Speaker 4: the few clips that I've seen are those like because 420 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:53,840 Speaker 4: I like the person, you know what I'm saying. So 421 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:57,320 Speaker 4: I don't know much about because I have recently watched 422 00:23:57,320 --> 00:23:59,720 Speaker 4: the fact that they are now micing a lot of 423 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:01,480 Speaker 4: the editor so that's been interesting. 424 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:11,919 Speaker 3: Yeah, okay, sorrysure, okay, Yeah, I was asking because I 425 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:13,720 Speaker 3: you know, I know that or I did both, so 426 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:17,680 Speaker 3: she did both singles and doubles, and when I played, 427 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:19,480 Speaker 3: they put me in doubles more. I think I just 428 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:23,280 Speaker 3: wasn't strong enough in tennis, Like I just I mean, 429 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:23,880 Speaker 3: I wasn't strong. 430 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 2: I wasn't strong as a tennis player enough. In general. 431 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:30,719 Speaker 3: I had a lot more work I needed to do 432 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:35,159 Speaker 3: to get better. I was decent. I was decent, but 433 00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:37,880 Speaker 3: I think there were I think there was a market 434 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:42,679 Speaker 3: just advantage that other players had over me because they 435 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:43,400 Speaker 3: started younger. 436 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 2: I started in high school. 437 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:47,480 Speaker 3: And then there were the people who were like a 438 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 3: little bit wealthier, you know, they were like U upper 439 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 3: middle class, and they had the ability to get tennis 440 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:54,600 Speaker 3: lessons starting from a young age, and I was just 441 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:57,159 Speaker 3: outclassed when I would go to compete a lot of 442 00:24:57,200 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 3: the time. But I do know that if I would 443 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:01,720 Speaker 3: have been able to have more time and lessons that 444 00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:06,159 Speaker 3: I could have done better. But I enjoy watching singles 445 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:07,679 Speaker 3: a lot as well. I think when I do I've 446 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:10,800 Speaker 3: watched tennis. I'll watch singles more, but I do really 447 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,399 Speaker 3: like playing doubles and it's fun to have a partner 448 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 3: on your side, you know. 449 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:16,160 Speaker 2: I don't know, but. 450 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 3: It's at this point in Aura's journey in tennis where 451 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:25,879 Speaker 3: she kind of she leaves singles behind, at least for 452 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:29,960 Speaker 3: the moment, and then keeps stealing doubles matches. So back 453 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:33,160 Speaker 3: on the basketball side. In nineteen thirty eight, the Tribunes 454 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:36,320 Speaker 3: went on tour in the South again. This time they 455 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:41,120 Speaker 3: went to Orangeburg, South Carolina. They went to Atlanta, Biloxi, Mississippi, 456 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:46,160 Speaker 3: New Orleans, and the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. And writer 457 00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:49,560 Speaker 3: Rick Roberts wrote a feature on Aura in the Atlanta 458 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 3: Daily World, and he said this Miss Washington, unlike most females, 459 00:25:55,119 --> 00:25:58,879 Speaker 3: affects the burden of national prominence with dignity and grace. 460 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:05,080 Speaker 3: She is wholly unaffected, has a most obliging and pleasing personality, 461 00:26:05,119 --> 00:26:08,760 Speaker 3: and is a favorite of all her associates. So that 462 00:26:08,840 --> 00:26:13,119 Speaker 3: was a pretty glowing albeit you know, a lot of 463 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:22,320 Speaker 3: outdated terminology UT data terminology, and clearly focused a lot, 464 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:26,399 Speaker 3: very heavily on her personality, which doesn't I mean I 465 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:29,920 Speaker 3: mean as part of a person, of course, but not 466 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:34,560 Speaker 3: sure what how how this is relevant to like her 467 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:39,560 Speaker 3: prowess and her sports playing. But yeah, she and she 468 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:43,359 Speaker 3: also didn't get her feedback about women in general and 469 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:48,800 Speaker 3: sports and about Aura wasn't always so ingratiating because it 470 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:54,040 Speaker 3: was like women were kind of expected to still be 471 00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:59,359 Speaker 3: more dainty, to still be more you know, refined around 472 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:03,200 Speaker 3: the edges. Yes, and she didn't always fit that mold 473 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:07,920 Speaker 3: for everyone, but doesn't matter. She was winning, and they 474 00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:14,560 Speaker 3: won a bunch of consecutive championship titles. And back on 475 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:16,960 Speaker 3: the tennis side in nineteen thirty nine, because she was 476 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:18,880 Speaker 3: going back and forth between the two in a single year. 477 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:21,879 Speaker 3: In nineteen thirty nine, she came out of retirement just 478 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:25,480 Speaker 3: to play Flora Lomax, who was new, like hot on 479 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:30,639 Speaker 3: the scene. She was the ATA national champion. And Aura 480 00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:34,240 Speaker 3: said this in a Baltimore Afro American interview. She said, quote, 481 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 3: certain people said certain things last year. They said Aura 482 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:40,280 Speaker 3: was not so good anymore. I had not planned to 483 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:42,679 Speaker 3: enter singles this year, but I just had to go 484 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:44,760 Speaker 3: up to Buffalo to prove somebody was wrong. 485 00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:45,919 Speaker 2: And she did. 486 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:50,840 Speaker 3: She still on her word, and she beat Flora and 487 00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:53,680 Speaker 3: she was just going to take a break from singles 488 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:55,199 Speaker 3: for a little bit. It seems like she kind of 489 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:57,679 Speaker 3: backed away from the whole retirement plan, was like, I'm 490 00:27:57,680 --> 00:27:59,800 Speaker 3: going to take a break. But then she was injured 491 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,520 Speaker 3: in a basketball game in nineteen forty one and she 492 00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:08,400 Speaker 3: just completely retired from tennis singles. And she had been 493 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:10,880 Speaker 3: the only player to win national titles in the singles, 494 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 3: doubles and mixed doubles in the same year, and back 495 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:17,840 Speaker 3: to basketball she was still doing that and she was 496 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:22,639 Speaker 3: still captain for the Tribunes, but she that point she 497 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:27,360 Speaker 3: didn't really play on the court much. And around nineteen 498 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:31,200 Speaker 3: forty two or nineteen forty three she left the Philadelphia 499 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:37,120 Speaker 3: Tribune Girls when it disbanded, and she did keep playing doubles, 500 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:41,200 Speaker 3: and nineteen forty seven is when she won her last 501 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:43,920 Speaker 3: mixed doubles title in the ATA and she played with 502 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:48,360 Speaker 3: George Stewart for that match, and in the she had 503 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:51,960 Speaker 3: like eight singles championships, twelve consecutive doubles titles, and three 504 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:53,280 Speaker 3: mixed doubles titles. 505 00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:59,720 Speaker 2: And yeah, at this point, her varied career in. 506 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:04,280 Speaker 3: Basketball and in tennis kind of dwindles down. She in 507 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:08,200 Speaker 3: the nineteen forties, bought a house in Philly with her 508 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:11,720 Speaker 3: younger sister and lived with her sister and her sister's 509 00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:16,760 Speaker 3: husband and their brother, and she died on May twenty ninth, 510 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:29,560 Speaker 3: nineteen seventy one, and Philadelphia. 511 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:32,680 Speaker 2: She had had a long career in both of those sports. 512 00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:35,479 Speaker 3: She had really made a name for herself, and she 513 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,880 Speaker 3: had won the ATA doubles titles every year from nineteen 514 00:29:38,920 --> 00:29:41,760 Speaker 3: twenty five to nineteen thirty six. She had won the 515 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:45,040 Speaker 3: ATA women's singles titles every year from nineteen twenty nine 516 00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:49,400 Speaker 3: to nineteen thirty five, and she had gained notoriety in 517 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:51,760 Speaker 3: those black circles, but she didn't get rich and she 518 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:55,320 Speaker 3: didn't garner mainstream fame, which is how we were talking 519 00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:58,120 Speaker 3: about in the beginning, kind of like what the word 520 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:02,400 Speaker 3: celebrity means. I mean, in our hindsight and our recognition 521 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:05,280 Speaker 3: of her, should consider her as a person who was 522 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:12,040 Speaker 3: really a pioneer in one being really skilled in tennis 523 00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:16,160 Speaker 3: and skilled in basketball and helping take her teams to 524 00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:19,720 Speaker 3: victory and being a highlight of the games, you know, 525 00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:22,480 Speaker 3: being really proficient at what she did, and also garnering 526 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 3: attention and a lot of the black press specifically, but 527 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:28,840 Speaker 3: she wasn't getting the attention that some of her white 528 00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:31,840 Speaker 3: counterparts who were doing similar things in the white leagues were, 529 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:35,800 Speaker 3: So it was also in general just a very the 530 00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:38,040 Speaker 3: landscape was shifting a lot, because this was the early 531 00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:41,560 Speaker 3: nineteen hundreds, so sports for everyone was changing a lot, 532 00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:45,560 Speaker 3: sports for women was especially changing a lot, and basketball. 533 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:49,640 Speaker 3: At first the women were playing competitively and by similar 534 00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:53,680 Speaker 3: rules that the men were playing, but at a certain 535 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:58,280 Speaker 3: point women were expected to not be so quote unquote 536 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:01,200 Speaker 3: rough and competitive. And you'll see in some of those 537 00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:05,000 Speaker 3: articles people talk about yeah, like you know, yeah, the 538 00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:07,640 Speaker 3: team was, it was good, they won, but like they 539 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:11,960 Speaker 3: were a little too rough. They weren't playing as sensitively 540 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:15,240 Speaker 3: as they expected women to play at the time, where 541 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:19,200 Speaker 3: it was more participatory sport than a competitive and like 542 00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:22,320 Speaker 3: physical sport as someone would. 543 00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:28,200 Speaker 2: Expect basketball to be today. And she did though, like. 544 00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:34,840 Speaker 3: Although at her time she got some feedback that was 545 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:39,080 Speaker 3: in that vein later posthumously, she was inducted into many 546 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:42,440 Speaker 3: halls of fame. In nineteen seventy six, she was inducted 547 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:45,440 Speaker 3: into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame. But there is 548 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:49,200 Speaker 3: a story about how and I feel like it's called 549 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:53,800 Speaker 3: out because it is. It's pretty indicative and symbolic of 550 00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:58,520 Speaker 3: her legacy, is that at the ceremony for her being 551 00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:01,280 Speaker 3: inducted into the Hall of Fame, they expected her to 552 00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:04,920 Speaker 3: be there in nineteen seventy six, but as we said, 553 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:07,320 Speaker 3: she died in May of nineteen seventy one, so of 554 00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:09,280 Speaker 3: course she wasn't going to be there. But they didn't 555 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:11,640 Speaker 3: know that. They didn't know that she had passed away already. 556 00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:14,400 Speaker 3: They were ready to give her her commemorative items and 557 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:16,400 Speaker 3: they were on stage like, hey, we have all these 558 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:19,000 Speaker 3: things for you, and she didn't show. 559 00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:20,760 Speaker 2: Up to get her award. 560 00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:25,480 Speaker 3: So yeah, I know, it's kind of morbidly funny, right, 561 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:31,320 Speaker 3: Like she had died in such like there had been 562 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:34,520 Speaker 3: little fanfare around her legacy around the time of her death. 563 00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:38,440 Speaker 3: She had apparently been sick up until her time of death, 564 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:41,000 Speaker 3: like so in her last year, she was already getting 565 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:43,000 Speaker 3: sick up until the time she died. 566 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:46,040 Speaker 2: And it just wasn't known. 567 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:50,400 Speaker 3: Although you know, I do wonder about the backstory because 568 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:52,640 Speaker 3: somebody had to have done some research into her to 569 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:57,840 Speaker 3: know that she deserved this award. It makes me wonder 570 00:32:57,920 --> 00:33:03,440 Speaker 3: what the vetting process is like. But she did deserve 571 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:06,600 Speaker 3: the a war because she was a pioneer in the field. 572 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:09,920 Speaker 3: And but yeah, that it was just that's a pretty 573 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:10,560 Speaker 3: weird story. 574 00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:11,800 Speaker 1: I have so many questions. 575 00:33:12,440 --> 00:33:14,160 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, right. 576 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:16,640 Speaker 4: I was like, how do you how how do you 577 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:18,480 Speaker 4: not check the say there's still a lie? 578 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:19,840 Speaker 2: Like, yeah, I don't know. 579 00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:21,520 Speaker 1: That seems like an obvious question. 580 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:22,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, because you're. 581 00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:25,000 Speaker 3: Also wondering like, how is she going to get there 582 00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:30,720 Speaker 3: to the ceremony? Is anybody bringing her? Did anybody reach 583 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:31,520 Speaker 3: out to her before? 584 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:33,600 Speaker 4: He is, Yeah, did they send the letter be like hey, 585 00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:37,160 Speaker 4: we're gonna honor you. No, one like looked at it, 586 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:38,840 Speaker 4: so they're just like, obviously she said yes. 587 00:33:38,880 --> 00:33:39,880 Speaker 2: No answer is that? Yes? 588 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:46,240 Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, it's an odd story. Well I can't explain it. 589 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:49,000 Speaker 1: Still, he congratulations she deserved the award. 590 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:52,280 Speaker 2: Yeah she did. 591 00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:56,200 Speaker 3: And then later and she was also inducted into other 592 00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:57,920 Speaker 3: halls of fame. So in two thousand and nine, she 593 00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:01,680 Speaker 3: was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of In twenty eighteen, 594 00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:05,640 Speaker 3: she was also inducted into the Nasmith Memorial Basketball Hall 595 00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:11,319 Speaker 3: of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, and historians have done more 596 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:13,480 Speaker 3: work to uncover parts of her life. I know historian 597 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:18,360 Speaker 3: Pamela Grundy is one person who has been doing the 598 00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:21,680 Speaker 3: diligent work of looking up more details of what happened, 599 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:26,480 Speaker 3: more so her personal life. And Ora's former teammates also 600 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:30,680 Speaker 3: later said that she was seen as less feminine than 601 00:34:30,719 --> 00:34:32,920 Speaker 3: the other players. So you can go and look at 602 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:34,919 Speaker 3: pictures of Ura and pictures of her and the rest 603 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:37,440 Speaker 3: of her team as well. They talked about in the 604 00:34:37,520 --> 00:34:40,319 Speaker 3: articles how she was five to seven and despite her 605 00:34:40,360 --> 00:34:42,719 Speaker 3: being five to seven, she was still really great at 606 00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:46,439 Speaker 3: basketball and dominated on the court. But yeah, so y'all 607 00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:50,880 Speaker 3: can see her as well. And her great nephew later on, 608 00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:55,440 Speaker 3: his name is Gregory Price. He said in interviews that 609 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:58,680 Speaker 3: she was gay and that she was reclusive because of it, 610 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:01,000 Speaker 3: so that's also part of her. But we don't really 611 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:03,719 Speaker 3: have her talking about that in her own words. So 612 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:07,920 Speaker 3: I think there was some like homophobia in the commentary 613 00:35:07,960 --> 00:35:12,960 Speaker 3: surrounding her, maybe in more public forums of speculation around it, 614 00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:16,720 Speaker 3: but there is no personal narrative. But her great great 615 00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:19,920 Speaker 3: nephew did comment on that. And then there is a 616 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:23,680 Speaker 3: podcast called BBC Untold Legends that tells her story. It's 617 00:35:23,760 --> 00:35:26,160 Speaker 3: like six parts and folks can go listen to it 618 00:35:26,239 --> 00:35:29,840 Speaker 3: and hear more of what the historians and family members 619 00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:32,880 Speaker 3: and teammates and like that, and people who were closer 620 00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:34,920 Speaker 3: to her and knew more about her had to say. 621 00:35:35,760 --> 00:35:40,400 Speaker 3: So there definitely was a recovery of her legacy, even 622 00:35:40,440 --> 00:35:43,799 Speaker 3: though in nineteen seventy six people didn't even know she died, 623 00:35:44,239 --> 00:35:46,640 Speaker 3: and the people who were honoring her didn't even know 624 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:47,080 Speaker 3: she died. 625 00:35:47,160 --> 00:35:50,479 Speaker 2: So imagine what people who had never heard of Aura. 626 00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:54,360 Speaker 3: It's like I didn't even know about her, you know, 627 00:35:54,920 --> 00:35:57,120 Speaker 3: didn't know anything about her at all, because the people 628 00:35:57,120 --> 00:35:59,879 Speaker 3: who were honoring her didn't even know that she was gone. 629 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:05,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, that is that's or a story. 630 00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:08,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's really interesting because I actually had heard 631 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:11,640 Speaker 1: about her before, but I only I knew the tennis part. 632 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:15,120 Speaker 1: I didn't know about the basketball part. That's wild. And 633 00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:18,200 Speaker 1: you know, as a lot of interviews I was reading 634 00:36:18,239 --> 00:36:23,680 Speaker 1: about her pointed out, it's so fascinating that, you know, today, 635 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:28,239 Speaker 1: athletes like Serena Williams make millions and have all these 636 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:31,719 Speaker 1: products with their name on it, and meanwhile she's in 637 00:36:31,760 --> 00:36:36,520 Speaker 1: basketball antennas and winning all these awards and not getting 638 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:40,920 Speaker 1: paid much, if at all, and then kind of just 639 00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:48,600 Speaker 1: being forgotten after she retired. It's a very It's interesting 640 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:52,560 Speaker 1: because we're still having conversations about you know, coverage, equal 641 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:56,399 Speaker 1: coverage of women's sports versus men's sports, and equal pay, 642 00:36:56,560 --> 00:37:00,080 Speaker 1: but that it's shifted so much to like we're talking 643 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:04,719 Speaker 1: in millions now or you know what I mean. It 644 00:37:04,800 --> 00:37:09,000 Speaker 1: was interesting to hear this story and to think about 645 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:11,160 Speaker 1: all the things that have changed and all the things 646 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:12,280 Speaker 1: that still haven't. 647 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:17,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, it is like she didn't get sponsorships, she didn't 648 00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:19,520 Speaker 3: wasn't paid a lot in her salary when she did 649 00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:21,319 Speaker 3: get a salary when she was on the basketball team, 650 00:37:21,320 --> 00:37:25,640 Speaker 3: which is a huge difference from how athletes, you know, 651 00:37:25,840 --> 00:37:31,399 Speaker 3: are able to navigate their compensation today. So yeah, I 652 00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:34,840 Speaker 3: at least according to her family members that it seems 653 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:38,920 Speaker 3: like she wasn't sad, is what I think what Gregory 654 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:42,440 Speaker 3: Price said, Like, Okay, she wasn't sad and she was 655 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:47,560 Speaker 3: happy with her accomplishments, and at least according to them, 656 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:50,640 Speaker 3: it didn't seem like and definitely not in interviews that 657 00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:55,760 Speaker 3: she gave, it didn't seem like she was so feeling 658 00:37:55,800 --> 00:37:59,040 Speaker 3: so dejected about not having got those things at the time. 659 00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:05,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure, But I mean, so many awards It's 660 00:38:05,719 --> 00:38:10,240 Speaker 1: amazing what she did accomplish. So thank you as always 661 00:38:10,760 --> 00:38:15,640 Speaker 1: use for bringing this story to us. Where can the 662 00:38:15,640 --> 00:38:16,520 Speaker 1: good listeners find you? 663 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:22,560 Speaker 3: So everyone can find me at Evesjeffcote dot com so 664 00:38:22,640 --> 00:38:24,120 Speaker 3: you can just go there and find a lot of 665 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:28,160 Speaker 3: other things. That's spelled y V E S J E 666 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:30,840 Speaker 3: F F C O A T dot com. 667 00:38:31,120 --> 00:38:32,719 Speaker 2: You can sign up for my newsletter there. 668 00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:35,000 Speaker 3: If you want to go straight to Instagram, you can 669 00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:39,680 Speaker 3: go to not Apologizing and you can also find me 670 00:38:39,719 --> 00:38:44,400 Speaker 3: on many other episodes of Sminty talking about female first 671 00:38:44,920 --> 00:38:47,520 Speaker 3: accomplishments of women in history. 672 00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:51,480 Speaker 1: Yes, go check all that stuff out listeners, if you 673 00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:56,080 Speaker 1: have not already, and you can find us in many ways. 674 00:38:56,120 --> 00:38:58,160 Speaker 1: You can emails at hello at stuff iever told you 675 00:38:58,200 --> 00:39:00,080 Speaker 1: dot com. You can find us on Blue Sky, on 676 00:39:00,160 --> 00:39:02,520 Speaker 1: a podcast, or on Instagram and TikTok at stuff I 677 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:04,279 Speaker 1: Never Told you for also on YouTube. We have tea 678 00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:05,640 Speaker 1: public store, and we have a book you can get 679 00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:07,520 Speaker 1: wherever you get your books. Thanks, it's always to our 680 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:10,280 Speaker 1: super producer Christina, our executive ducer My and your coontruder Joey. 681 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:12,440 Speaker 1: Thank you and thanks to you for listening. Stuff I've 682 00:39:12,440 --> 00:39:13,960 Speaker 1: Never Told You is production by heart Radio. For more 683 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:15,440 Speaker 1: podcasts from My heart Radio, you can check out the 684 00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:17,320 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to 685 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:18,400 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.